Georgetown University

1
PRESENTATION
Networking for Linguists MLC Brown Bag Series
Georgetown University November 17, 2009
2
Networking Workshop

• Goals for todays workshop
• Fill your back pocket with a couple variations of
  an elevator pitch to explain your studies and
  career interests to non-linguists
• Use linguistic tools to rehearse your responses
  to predictable introductory questions
• Build short-term goals to help you keep momentum
  with your networking
• Share your networking tips with your classmates

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Activity Introductory Questions

• Reply to the
• question
• In three different
• ways (A3 or A4)
• 2) Analyze your
• responses
• using a linguistic tool
• such as face, framing,
• audience analysis,
• stance, etc.

Q1 What do you do? A1 Im a grad student. Q2
What are you studying? Q2 Linguistics.
Q3 How many languages do you speak? A3 A3 A3
Q4 So, what are you gonna do with
that? A4 A4 A4
4
Dictionary definition

• linguistics
• noun (used with a singular verb )
• the science of language, including phonetics,
  phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics,
  pragmatics, and historical linguistics.
• ORIGIN
• 185055 see linguistic, -ics
• SOURCE http//dictionary.reference.com/browse/lin
  guistics

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Journal of Sociolinguistics

• Now publishing 5 issues per volume, Journal of
  Sociolinguistics has established itself as an
  international forum for multidisciplinary
  research on language and society.
• Journal of Sociolinguistics promotes
  sociolinguistics as a thoroughly linguistic and
  thoroughly social-scientific endeavour. The
  journal is concerned with language in all its
  dimensions, macro and micro, as formal features
  or abstract discourses, as situated talk or
  written text. Data in published articles
  represent a wide range of languages, regions and
  situations - from Alune to Xhosa, from Cameroun
  to Canada, from bulletin boards to dating ads.
• SOURCE http//www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref13
  60-6441

6
Walt Wolfram
The basic notion underlying sociolinguistics is
quite simple Language use symbolically
represents fundamental dimensions of social
behavior and human interaction. The notion is
simple, but the ways in which language reflects
behavior can often be complex and subtle.
Furthermore, the relationship between language
and society affects a wide range of
encounters--from broadly based international
relations to narrowly defined interpersonal
relationships. Sociolinguists might investigate
questions such as how mixed-gender conversations
differ from single-gender conversations, how
differential power relations manifest themselves
in language forms, how caregivers let children
know the ways in which language should be used,
or how language change occurs and spreads to
communities. SOURCE LSA Website
http//www.lsadc.org/info/ling-fields-socio.cfm
7
Connie Eble

• Sociolinguistics is the study of how language
  serves and is shaped by the social nature of
  human beings. In its broadest conception,
  sociolinguistics analyzes the many and diverse
  ways in which language and society entwine. This
  vast field of inquiry requires and combines
  insights from a number of disciplines, including
  linguistics, sociology, psychology and
  anthropology.
• Sociolinguistics examines the interplay of
  language and society, with language as the
  starting point. Variation is the key concept,
  applied to language itself and to its use. The
  basic premise of sociolinguistics is that
  language is variable and changing.  As a result,
  language is not homogeneous not for the
  individual user and not within or among groups of
  speakers who use the same language.
• SOURCE Do You Speak American? Website
  http//www.pbs.org/speak/speech/sociolinguistics/s
  ociolinguistics/

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The Linguists
A linguist is a scientist who studies language,
but not just to learn the language, but to
figure out the possible ways that the human mind
can make sense of the world around it. (111)
SOURCE The Linguists (Movie) http//thelingui
sts.com/ http//www.babelgum.com/browser.phpplay
/SEARCH,queryStringthe20linguists,orderMOST_POP
ULAR/0,3016880
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Elevator Pitch Scenarios
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Activity Elevator Pitches

• Take 1
• Pick a Scenario that will be immediately useful
  for you to develop.
• Draft your own elevator pitch (in complete
  sentences so its legible to your partner).
• Perform this for your partner. (Take turns).
• Take 2
• Swap papers with your partner.
• Put on your editors hat and pull out your
  linguistic tool kit.
• Suggest two edits to your partners elevator
  pitch.
• Write up a revised elevator pitch.
• Perform this for your partner. (Take turns).
• Reflection
• Make note of any feedback that was particularly
  helpful.
• Jot down any insights, reactions, challenges from
  this activity.

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Best practices for Elevator Pitches

• 1. Highlight headline news stories and how a
  linguists training can resolve every day
  communications challenges
• Reset button (Hilary Clinton, Russia)
• War on terror
• Health insurance reform vs. Universal
  healthcare
• Swine flu vs. H1 N1
• 2. Connect with popular urban legends
• Eskimos have 1000 words for snow
• Chevy Nova no va
• 3. Provide examples of the career paths of your
  classmates, famous linguists, etc.
• One of my classmates works with PR campaigns for
  organizations like
• George Lakoff consults with politicians.
• Heidi Hamilton consults on doctor/patient
  interactions

Others?
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Action Items

• Commit to taking action on three simple goals to
  keep momentum on your networking
• Set a deadline for yourself
• Find someone in the room who will keep you
  accountable and arrange to check in with him/her
• Inspiration and ideas to get you started
• Update your Linked In profile and join the Meta
  Talk group
• Ask your classmates which distros they follow
  (Linguist List, DISCOURSE, etc.)
• Join or become active in DC-based Professional
  Associations
• Attend at least one event off campus by end of
  2009
• Other?

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Top Ten Tips for Effectively Managing your Career
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Resources

• Meta Talk Linked In Group
• Timothy Butler (2007)
• Getting Unstuck
• Lynne Waymon (2007)
• Making Your Contacts Count
• Diane Darling
• How to Work a Room (www.effectivenetworking.com
  )

• Contact
• Sonia Checchia
• smchecchia_at_gmail.com

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Questions?